SITE:

The site is a relatively small plot (approximately 500 sq.yards) located on an extremely steep site in Karjat, outside of Mumbai. It is located adjacent to the Chokhany residence. Karjat is located among the foothills of the Sahyadri range of mountains and the area offers breathtaking panoramic views across the valleys and hillsides. The site slopes down from the SW corner to the NE corner of the plot by about 35' over a distance of about 100'. The project has a tight approach road along the Southern edge and there is a valley towards the North and North East.

The site has a massive Banyan tree at its South-West edge but no other significant tree cover on the plan. There are a lot of trees in the adjacent area, most significantly of Indian Teak that have grown naturally.

This area experiences a typical hot humid climate of Karjat / Mumbai with hot summers, severe monsoon rains and fairly pleasant winters.

 

PROGRAM:

Single Family Weekend Cottage with 3 bedroom suites and adequate living / entertaining area for medium size gatherings. A swimming pool was desired by the client although placing it on a steep site was a challenge.

 

CONCEPT:

The project enjoys similar panoramic views as the Chokhany house, overlooking a beautiful forested valley to the North and opening up to the distant plains along the East. This site is even steeper than the Chokhany house and we immediately took a decision to create a series of retaining walls with deck slabs for the architectural mass and use the space below the decks as part of the exterior landscape.

Similar to the Chokhany house, we create thermal mass along the South-West with greater emphasis on transparency and view along the North-East.

 

PROCESS:

The Banyan tree become a focus point for the site massing; we created our approach circulation from the street to the front door around this banyan tree. The house is pushed about 15 feet to the North relative to the Chokhany villa so that it could enjoy views better resulting in a beautiful shaded courtyard that emerged from the site excavations.

The programmatic mass and the site terracing work together to create the final architectural form. Keeping in mind the seamless connection of inside and outside along with a desire to minimize the building footprint, we planned the swimming pool at the top (entry) level of the house. The swimming pool looks into the living / dining suite and the stairs to the bedrooms sits adjacent to the pool creating a sense of immersion as one descends to the lower floor.

The courtyards and decks on the lower floor extend the bedrooms spaces into the exterior with each offering varied experiences.

The roof at the upper level has a skylight that runs along the entire length of the space that fills the living and dining area with diffused Northern light.

 

MATERIALITY:

The project is constructed in a typical RCC frame and slab system. Retaining walls were made in locally sourced stone with an RCC frame.